Part 22 of some new science fiction. If you're just tuning in, consider starting with part 1. The image above was created with stable diffusion.
For a long time, the largest diamond in the world had been a stone mined in South Africa, weighing about six hundred grams. Then James used his Servant to materialize a cubic meter of diamond weighing 3,500 kilos in his back yard. He slowly walked around the giant crystal, then dematerialized it, feeling like the experiment had been a success.
Returning to his living room, James found Yarn looking unhappy. "I saw you out the window," she said. "Please tell me you're not going to start making giant diamonds."
"What if I made a castle out of diamonds?" asked James. "Maybe a big diamond dome?"
"Lame," said Yarn.
"My seeds suck," said James. "My diamond ideas are lame. What do you want me to do?"
"What does Janet say?" asked Yarn.
"To follow my dreams without pissing off the government," said James.
"And what do your dreams say?" asked Yarn.
"Mostly stuff that would piss off the government," said James. "To be honest, I'm still stuck on the idea of a commodity index backed crypto. I want to lay the foundations for an alternative economy and credit system. If I have so much power, why can't I do that?"
"Have you talked to Adina or any of the other First Designers about that?" asked Yarn.
"Adina's all wrapped up in the NGO crowd," said James. "They're doing great with their international aid racket, keeping the poor poor and subservient while lining the pockets of contractors. If I had my way, they'd all be out of business. So I doubt she'd be much help."
James was going to say more, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Answering it, expecting to find Janet, James instead found Ben Gray, the Object cultist. He'd abandoned his Thubu robes for casual wear, and smiled broadly when the door opened.
"How did you get past the guards this time?" asked James.
"Technically, I'm still on record as your spiritual advisor," said Ben. "I have my own church now. A couple of Visitors attend regularly. I'm here to invite you to come by."
"You're my spiritual advisor?" said James. "Fine. Come in and advise me."
"I'd be honored," said Ben, finding a seat on the couch. "What's going on?"
"I want to create a fair and reasonable alternative to the current monetary system, but the government might nuke me if I do," said James.
"Hmm," said Ben. "You were a stock trader before all of this, yes?"
"That's right," said James.
"So you were a part of the system," said Ben. "And now that you have the power to, you want to change that system."
"Basically," said James. "I mean, trading is just participating in price discovery, which would still need to happen in the new system I'm envisioning. What I really want to do is fix the system of dollars and credit."
"I guess I'm not really clear about what you mean when you say fix the system of dollars," said Ben.
"Dollars and credit," said James. "They're essentially the same system. New dollars come into being when banks extend credit in their system. The whole thing is run by private entities, not the government. Actually, in 2008, these private entities forced the government to give them a massive bailout. Told officials that the world would stop without the bailout."
"Okay, so what exactly is it that you want to do?" asked Ben.
"Make a currency backed by gold and other valuables," said James. "Unlike the US dollar, which is backed only by imagination and trust in corrupt officials."
"I guess I can see why they might have a problem with that," said Ben.
"Honestly, it's not super different from what BRIC nations want to do on an international scale," said James. "They want a resource-based economy. I'm pretty sure that's what the war in Ukraine is really about."
"Interesting," said Ben. "So you're considering doing something that might be read by the government as a declaration of war?"
"Basically, yeah," said James. "The problem is that this is the best thing I can think of to do to really help people. To free them from a system literally engineered to keep money scarce and ensure that the poor never have a chance."
"Have you talked to any of the Visitors about it?" asked Ben. "They do have a more advanced perspective than we do."
"They think our whole economy is a silly game," said James. "They're not wrong. So far, I've talked to Pink and Ochre about the idea. They were both painfully neutral about it."
"That reminds me," said Yarn. "Did you materialize that sparkling gown for Ochre yet?"
"It's in a box under your desk," said James.
"Perhaps they're right about the economy," said Ben. "Would you consider helping the world in a less controversial way?"
"Got something specific in mind?" asked James.
"My church is doing weekly feedings," said Ben. "50-100 people, every Wednesday evening. What if you come this week and use your Servant to create the food? We normally accept donations and make up the difference out of pocket. Your help would make a big difference."
"Yeah, I can do that," said James. "I can even make each meal according to what every person wants. Hey, why not?"
"That's great," said Ben. "Any chance I could convince you to come for Sunday services, too?"
"I'll think about it," said James. "But no promises."
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